Carving Turkeys in the Tenderloin: Unemployment Up and Stock Market Down Means a Longer Line at St. Anthony's

SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 25 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- St. Anthony Dining Room will serve more than 3,500 turkey dinners to the poor and homeless on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 27th. And on the Wednesday prior (November 26th), St. Anthony staff and volunteers will together be carving turkeys, making pumpkin pies, and mashing potatoes to ensure that when the doors open at 9:45am on Thanksgiving morning, there is plenty for everyone.

"With unemployment up and the stock market down, it is no wonder that more people will be spending Thanksgiving at St. Anthony's," noted St. Anthony Executive Director Fr. John Hardin. "We are serving 20% more people in our programs than we were 5 years ago, and like everyone, our costs have gone up."

St. Anthony's has been running a special "drive by" food and clothing donation drive to help meet the crisis of increased demand, as more and more people turn to the 58-year-old non-profit for basic necessities as a result of the current economic crisis. Clean, cared-for, warm clothing and canned or dried bulk foods are especially needed.

For 58 years St. Anthony Foundation has provided free, life sustaining support for the poor and homeless. St. Anthony Foundation's programs help heal individuals and families by providing a gateway to solutions to poverty, including a Dining Room which serves 2,600 meals every day, an Employment Program/Technology Lab, Drug and Alcohol Recovery Program, and a Free Medical Clinic. St. Anthony Foundation does not accept any federal, state, or local government money, and is entirely funded by private donations.